Ruben Alvarez memorial

My dad, Ruben Alvarez, was recently diagnosed with liver cancer in June 2017. He originally went in to get a Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt, but then found out he had three cancerous tumors in his liver. The doctors decided they wanted to put him on the transplant list, but in order to do that he had to do a treatment called, Chemoembolization, which shocks the tumors to a smaller size so he could qualify for the transplant list. They were able to shock two of the tumors, which we found out they completely vanished. He was eligible for the transplant list and everything seemed to be going in the right direction. Three weeks later he went back for a check up on the T.I.P.S procedure and his ascites, which is fluid build up around the stomach lining. The doctor told him that the radiologist had read the report wrong and that the two tumors they treated did in fact die off but the third tumor became more aggressive and spread to his portal vein. From there they told us he had about 8 months and/or 17 months with this new medicine called Opdivo, which is supposed to prolong life. His insurance didn't approve of the medicine so we contacted the manufacture ourselves and told them our story. We had to wait to see if he would get approved. The doctors let him come home for the time being. Three weeks later, he became very sick from high ammonia levels, which happens when you don't have frequent bowel movements. He got very confused and we had to take him back to the hospital. He was stuck in a coma state for about a week. The doctors didn't give us much hope. They said he had about a few weeks left of life. He slowly began to be more responsive and was only able to speak in short answers. He was able to come home after 12 days. The hospital suggested home care hospice. In just the two days he was home all he did was sleep and the times he did wake up he was very groggy. The second night home he decided he wanted to stop fighting and was placed in a skilled nursing home. The hospice nurses said he had about 2-3 days left to live. My mom quit her job in order to care for him 24/7, so Income has become an issue. The money raised for Ruben will be used toward funeral expenses and for flying his oldest daughter and family out from Indiana. Any amount donated will be highly appreciated. God bless